This invention relates to methods and means for providing illumination of scenes to be reproduced by cameras. More particularly, it relates to reflective devices for use with sources of flash illumination such as flash units.
The quality of flash photographs has in the past been limited by available flash equipment and the type of illumination produced thereby. One limitation has been that it was not possible to employ a single source of flash illumination to provide simultaneous direct and indirect illumination of a scene to be photographed. Flash equipment available only provided single-source flash illumination in a single direction, such that flash illumination of the scene was either direct or indirect, but not both. Structures such as flash units which house the source of illumination, are usually mounted on a camera and the direction of the axial path of their flash illumination is normally parallel to the axis of the optical path of the camera lens, such that the axial path of their flash illumination meets at or close to where the axis of the optical path of the camera lens meets a subject of the scene to be reproduced. This provides direct or nearly direct, and sometimes intense, illumination of the subject and scene, and is disadvantageous principally because round, curved or irregularly shaped surfaces such as those of a human face appear unnaturally flat. Also, direct lighting creates reproductions showing shadows behind or alongside the subject on nearby surfaces such as walls.
To overcome these problems associated with direct illumination, flash units have been pivotable, usually vertically, to direct light against and bounce it off a nearby surface such as a ceiling and provide indirect, more diffused illumination of the scene. Although this reduces the flat appearance and shows a much more natural appearance of roundness, since all of the light comes from a location far from the camera lens, it has the disadvantage of causing heavy shadows near irregular surfaces such as under eyebrows, chins, etc.
Another problem that arises from indirect, bounce-flash, illumination relates to the operation and effectiveness of sensory devices commonly fixedly-mounted on structures such as flash units which house the source of illumination. The sensors, usually electronic devices such as "electric eyes", respond to the camera-to-subject or-scene distance, and the particular scene's reflectivity, and determine and control the duration of flash illumination required. To be effective, the sensors must be pointed or directed toward the scene to be reproduced such that the axis of the sensing path meets say a subject of the scene at, as near as possible to, or in the vicinity of, where the axis of the optical path of the camera lens meets the subject. But, since sensors are usually fixedly-mounted to the flash unit, they are only dependably effective when flash illumination is direct. In bounce-flash work, the sensor is pointed away from the subject, say toward a ceiling, and it improperly controls flash duration based on input received from the ceiling, not the subject. Thus, indirect flash illumination from a flash unit having a fixed sensor not only produces shadows, but it also renders sensor readings inaccurate and sensors ineffective.
In view of these and other limitations of camera equipment and flash units which provide only either direct or indirect illumination, in a single direction only, it is an object of this invention to provide camera apparatus and methods which enable a single source of illumination to provide simultaneous direct and indirect illumination of a scene to be reproduced. Such illumination provides more realistic, more uniform lighting and allows one to eliminate or control both flatness and shadows on subjects, scenes and reproductions, as desired.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device which reflectively redirects a percentage of illumination from a source to indirectly illumine a scene to be reproduced, while allowing a percentage of the illumination from the source to directly illumine the scene to be reproduced.
Another object of this invention is to provide the aforementioned device having means which allow variable regulation and selection and control of the percentages of illumination which respectively directly and indirectly illumine the scene to be reproduced.
Another object of this invention is to provide a reflective device which reflectively redirects substantially all of the source-directed flash illumination away from its source-directed axial path aimed at the scene to be reproduced, to indirectly illumine a scene to be reproduced.
Another object of this invention is to provide the aforementioned devices which allow a reflective member to be interposed at one or more angles between the flash source and the scene to be reproduced, to reflectively redirect all or a percentage of the flash illumination from its source-directed path.
Another object of this invention is to provide the aforementioned devices wherein the reflective member includes passing means for allowing a percentage of the source-directed illumination to pass through the reflective member, and the reflective member has regulating means, for variably regulating the percentage of illumination passed through the reflective member.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device which allows the reflective member to be pivoted to vary its angle of interposition between the source of flash illumination and the scene to be reproduced.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device which allows the reflective member to be rotated in an arc whose approximate center point is the axis of the path of flash illumination, such that reflective redirection of the source-directed illumination can be at various degrees of the arc.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device in the form of a frame mountable on a flash unit and having wings which straddle the source of flash illumination and include means for removably mounting a reflective member onto the frame.
Another object of this invention is to provide the aforementioned devices with a pair of upwardly-disposed side walls which extend from the flash unit to the frame or reflective member.
Still another object of this invention is to provide the aforementioned device wherein the structure such as the flash unit which houses the source of illumination includes allowing means such as slots cooperative with the wings for allowing the frame to be pivoted between its open and closed positions.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide methods of effecting the aforementioned objectives.
These and other objects of this invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the description which follows, which, taken in conjunction with the drawings, discloses preferred embodiments thereof.